World Surveillance Group Inc (fka WSGI)

[imawswami]

Parallel Airship Program Currently Testing at Edwards: Article

While not a direct competitor of the Sanswire Stratellite, Aeros' airship Sky Dragon(envisioned as an equip. & troop transport)is currently being tested at Plant 42 (Skunk Works) Edward's Air Force Base.

Having personally seen this vehicle test a few weeks back,

[note:it was very ungainly at times, literally lurching up-and-down-and-all-around the sky. Thought for a second it was our Strat. but saw it manned -thank God!]

and now having read today's article on it, am just really stuck by the physical reality that we are on the cusp of a new era of transportation/communication/surveillance/what-have-you. And to be invested, at an early stage, into what well appears to be a substantial industrial player with the Stratellite (assuming all tests perform satisfactorily)leaves a person feeling giddy. Not queasy, like the pilot witnessed manning the Sky Dragon...lol.


http://www.dailynews.com/Stories/0,1413,200~20950~2756002,00.html

Article Published: Friday, March 11, 2005 - 12:00:00 AM PST

Tarzana-based Aeros is testing a 143-foot-long airship called Sky Dragon out of Site 9 adjoining U.S. Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale. (Jeff Goldwater / LA Daily News)


Airship flight tests from Site 9 hangar


By Jim Skeen, Staff Writer

PALMDALE -- A Tarzana company is using part of the former B-1B bomber assembly plant as a base for flight testing an airship that can be used for surveillance missions.Aeros is flight testing its 40B "Sky Dragon," a 143-foot-long lighter-than-air craft from Site 9, adjacent to Air Force Plant 42. Aeros is leasing one of the two massive hangars at Site 9 where the B-1B fleet was produced in the 1980s and has more recently been used as a soundstage for the filming of the movie "The Terminal" with Tom Hanks.

"We're using Site 9 to carry out flight testing and pilot training for the airship," said company vice president Fred Edworthy. "We can't say a lot."

Company officials are planning an event on March 22 in which they will be able to disclose who their customer is for the project.

The work, which involves a cadre of about 12 workers, is expected to wrap up in early April. The company will conduct about another 20 hours of flying with the airship. In general, the flights will be conducted in the morning before the afternoon winds pick up, Edworthy said.

The craft is able to fly up to 7,500 feet in altitude at up to 51 mph and stay aloft for 24 hours.

The company is operating out of Site 9 on a 90-day lease with Los Angeles World Airports, but there is a possibility of additional work in Palmdale.

The company is among those seeking contracts from the Defense Advanced Projects Research Agency to develop technologies for an airship that would be capable of transporting personnel and equipment to battle areas.

DAPRA envisions an airship able to transport 500 tons across intercontinental distances and would be capable of operating from unimproved landing sites.

Site 9 would be an ideal place to conduct work on the program, Edworthy said.

DAPRA is expected to award as many as three contracts in June under the first phase of the program, which is dubbed Walrus.

Jim Skeen, [phone] [e-mail]